Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons-Chapter 456: Mane King

Within minutes, the cave system filled with responding pack members. Twenty-five superior-rank Golden Manes arrived from various hunting grounds and patrol routes, their golden bodies creating a sea of gold in the cave. Each creature radiated immense power and aggression, their eyes blazing with hunger for vengeance against whoever had dared to violate their territory.

The assembled pack included some of the most dangerous predators in the entire region, creatures whose individual power exceeded most superior-rank beasts, amplified by pack coordination that had been refined through generations of successful hunts. Together, they represented enough danger to the most powerful territories in the region.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, the assembled lions maintained respectful silence as their king prepared for war, but hunger blazed in their eyes.

Sensing all of his kin arriving at their assembly point, the Mane King rose to his full, imposing height. His legendary presence filled the cave system, making even his superior-rank subordinates feel small in comparison to their absolute leader.

Without the need for words or additional commands, he took off toward the location where his pack member had died. Twenty-five superior-ranked Golden Manes followed in perfect formation, their movement creating a golden tide of death that flowed through the forest with the simple intent to kill.

Even the neighbouring territories felt the Mane King’s roar of fury. The Laughing Death pack, and even creatures near the Grieving Hollow, recognised the sound and understood its implications. Someone had made the worst mistake of their life by killing a Golden Mane within the pack’s territory, and the legendary king’s response would be swift, overwhelming, and absolutely merciless.

...

The pack moved through their territory with supernatural speed, covering miles of dense forest in minutes through paths that only they knew existed. Their approach was silent despite their numbers, each creature moving with the stealth of assassins.

As they neared the location where their packmate had died, the Mane King signalled for positioning. His subordinates spread into a wide circle, surrounding the area where the intruder’s scent was strongest while maintaining visual contact with their leader.

The scent trail led them to a clearing where something unprecedented awaited their arrival.

For a brief moment, not a single sound was made.

The entire band of Golden Manes, ready to tear apart the creature that had killed their kin, stood frozen with jaws slack and eyes wide with disbelief.

A corpse loomed in front of them, and a lone man sat atop it.

His expression was utterly indifferent to their arrival. He wasn’t even looking at them directly, yet every Golden Mane in the pack could feel the crushing pressure of his domineering presence weighing down on their very soul.

Time itself seemed to slow as the pack leader stopped, staring at the young man atop his kin’s corpse.

Then the young man uttered a few words. "Oh? You are finally here. I’ve been waiting for you."

The legendary Mane King himself felt something he hadn’t experienced in decades.

Uncertainty.

The Golden Beetle near Arthur observed the unfolding scene with mounting worry, its eyes reflecting the tension that filled the clearing. Despite feeling concerned about the overwhelming odds they now faced, the beetle’s loyalty remained absolute; it was prepared to fight to the death for its master without hesitation. Its worry wasn’t centred on its own survival, but rather on the safety of the Arthur who had claimed its allegiance and unwavering loyalty.

Arthur stared down at the assembled pack with smily eyes, his gaze eventually settling on the magnificent creature that commanded them.

The pack king.

A cold smile slowly erupted across his features, transforming his expression into something that made even the legendary predator feel uneasy.

"Although you’ve come late," Arthur observed with amusement, "it seems like you’ve come bearing a gift, huh?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

His vision immediately processed the information that materialised before him:

[King of Golden Manes]

[Level: 24]

[Rank: Legendary-Boss]

[Details: The king of the golden manes. At the legendary rank, his power dwarves those in his pack. His strength was claimed through courage, talent and leadership.

Staring at the legendary designation, Arthur’s smile deepened with genuine satisfaction. It seemed like his second legendary beast was delivering itself directly to him without requiring extensive hunting or searching.

Arthur remained seated on the corpse of the fallen Golden Mane as if the arrival of twenty-six superior and legendary-rank predators didn’t merit even basic defensive postures. His relaxed position atop the mangled remains served as both throne and statement—a declaration that he viewed their collective threat as insufficient to warrant standing up.

Seeing the fury blazing in the Mane King’s amber eyes, Arthur’s expression shifted to something approaching mockery.

"Why are you staring at me with such hatred?" Arthur asked, as if discussing a minor thing rather than the death of one of the Mane King’s pack members.

"I simply taught your kin a lesson, albeit he died in the process. I must say, it’s really not my fault, I was being very lenient with him after all."

The Mane King’s expression remained hateful, his ears clearly ignoring Arthur’s excuses.

Arthur’s previous smirk suddenly disappeared, coldness replacing the amusement as his eyes regained their frigid intensity. "It seems like you didn’t like what I said. Maybe... you should teach your kin respect next time, King of the Golden Manes. Had your kin had some respect, he wouldn’t have been used as a meagre chair."

The Mane King’s response was primal in return.

He let out a roar that shook leaves from branches even a kilometre away and sent shock waves rippling through the forest floor. His vocal cords generated sound waves that possessed actual physical force, causing weaker creatures to shake in fear as terror was instilled into their bodies.

But despite his fury, the king didn’t attack immediately. Something about the young man sitting so casually atop his kin’s corpse triggered survival instincts that had kept him alive through decades of territorial conflicts. The mere aura radiating from Arthur’s relaxed body was powerful enough to send shivers down his spine.